Have you ever seen these people around you who show more commitment, are much more successful, and seem as if they do not have any issues achieving goals and overcoming obstacles?
If you think their behavior is annoying, then you are not alone. According to a study from the University of Minnesota in 2021, some thirty-nine percent of people feel the same way. But looking into someone else’s achievements with a reason different from inspiration loses you and others’ time and increases levels of stress, anxiety, and insecurities.
People often mistake both and focus on the activity instead of looking for the outcome. These types of cultures that favor action are more generic than those welcoming the results as a purpose.
A slight difference between both focuses can be used as a prerequisite to defining the results from one work.
People focusing on action tend to react with:
Less thought and more effort
“Do not think so much, just do it” is their motto
More mechanically
“Just follow the steps” is a good motto here. These people often work in production facilities with well-established rules and clear steps for action. Following these steps, people succeed in their work without the need to add additional value to the process and outcomes:
Low engagement
No matter what people of action say, their internal thought is – “What is known and does not need much thinking is comfortable.” These people are often not engaged with what they do; they do not even know the cause of the product they create. They only come to execute the action and leave for home at the set end of the day.
Low responsibility toward the final result
“I did what is expected from me” is often a phrase they use. However, combined with the words “This is not my job,” these same people limit themselves and the team from achieving more significant and impactful results, hidden after the false limitation of procedures and processes to be followed.
Disconnection from values and standards
“The work has to be done, and that is all” – an often heard phrase. These people do not honor values. They have their way of doing things without thinking of others or how their actions can affect employees, processes, departments, and even organizational outcomes. They feel uncomfortable when someone starts talking about how the work will be measured by implemented standards or by the values shared inside the company. Disconnection from values makes them rigid toward change and afraid that they will have to change or leave. The last creates additional stress for them and everyone around them.
Unasked aggression
As a result of this connection between actual performance and values standards set, people of action often react to what they think threatens them with anger and aggression. While these last two are often a defense mechanism toward the status quo they have created, the effect is often negative. It leads to the person’s separation from the team and organization and, in the worst cases – their dismissal.
But there is also a positive side to people working only as action executors. While they base their work on what is known, these people are a good fit for teams who do not create but execute processes in the organization. Having people who follow steps without overthinking the impact is the basis for the excellent execution in manufacturing and production of different goods and complex products, where experimenting can cause disasters or lose the company time and money.
On the other hand, another group of people is more outcome-driven. Often, they are seen as dreamers or those who talk about the far future. But no matter that, these people have their place and importance in the company’s success. After all, a company cannot look only at the current results without having any vision for the future. Here is where the outcome-driven people come in. They are:
Future driven
That does not mean that these people are overlooking their daily tasks. It mainly means that they do their daily tasks with far broader thinking of tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
Flexibility builders
Outcome-driven people do not stick to only what is known and try to find new ways to do the same work with less effort and higher effectiveness. Their thinking allows them to overgrow well-known borders and move beyond them, thinking there is always a better way to finish the same job.
Teamwork developers
While trying to do more work simultaneously, outcome-driven people build alliances that help them do the job with less effort. Relationships and utilization of others’ strengths are their main productivity boosters.
Network creators
Results for outcome-driven people are not one-time achievements. They reach the best possible result to open the door for the following better result in time. With that mission in life and work, outcome-driven people need a network of supporters to achieve higher results. This network may include people of power and authority and, at the same time, add people with different skills and expertise who can become contributors to success at various stages of its achievement.
High responsibility toward results
With all the activity in their work, outcome-driven people have high levels of engagement toward results. They care about what is happening, why is this happening, how it contributes to stress or success, etc. The final result, somewhere in the future, is the primary driver of their behavior and, at the same time, an energy booster for building a better future.
Balanced and organized
People focused on outcomes develop time skills to help them use their energy in a balanced way. At the same time, these people build organizational and self-organizing skills to help them stay on top of the wave and reach results by overcoming obstacles and dealing with challenges successfully.
Values integrators
Yes, you read it right. Outcome-driven people may sometimes act by the values defined and, in other cases, break them. At the same time, they are using values to connect others and deliver results. Whether the approach is to talk about values as something positive or use them to moderate behaviors they do not like, values are the primary tool to set some standards and make others work by those standards.
Highly responsible for results
Driven by the motto “Final result is what matters, and the ways to achieve it may be different.”, outcome-driven people focus on delivering what is needed by maximizing the output with the highest possible number. That often leads them to situations and creates labels that show these people primarily focus on the work and use others as resources and tools for achieving what is needed. That may develop feelings of dissatisfaction in others or even generate discrepancies in the already built model and system of working.
IN CONCLUSION:
Regardless of the mindset, people are valuable for the company structure, and we have to think with respect for all their contributions to achieving results. Knowing what drives people and how to reorder their daily tasks and challenges is an excellent prerequisite for delivering higher results. With that in mind, companies should embrace prioritizing one or the other group of people and find ways to support both groups to ensure balanced and sustainable growth in time.
The Human place 